


Leaves of Three, Let it Be

by b0tticelli



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fuck Or Die, It just has a lot of build up Okay, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Sex Pollen, Suspension Of Disbelief, magical plants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24104857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b0tticelli/pseuds/b0tticelli
Summary: In hindsight, maybe that should have been warning enough for Minhyuk, as pretty things hardly come without a price.Minhyuk plucks one flower without a pinch of hesitation, a curled smile on his face.“Wouldn’t this look pretty tucked in my hair?” he says, completely oblivious to the look of panic on Hyungwon’s face before it’s masked with indifference.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Lee Minhyuk
Comments: 13
Kudos: 146





	Leaves of Three, Let it Be

**Author's Note:**

> Hyunghyuk did a vlive the same day I planned to post this? My Impact?
> 
> This derived from me wanting to do a sex pollen fic with a fuck or die concept inspired from brief scenes/mentions in TGCF and SVSSS, respectively. I asked who in kpop would put themselves in that kind of situation and Ayesha asked me Do You Hyunghyuk? 
> 
> So here we are hehe.

If the sun were to beat down any harder, then surely the hairs on Hyungwon’s pasty body would melt together and turn him into some creepy cryptid with an enigmatic backstory used by the neighboring town to develop tourism—because capitalism was truly the route of all evil. When Minhyuk voices these inner thoughts out loud to the future cryptid of his mind, all he receives in return is a glare with an intent to kill and a sharp, cold shoulder. To make matters worse, Hyungwon doesn’t even stop walking to try and whack Minhyuk for his comments and all Minhyuk can do is continue his struggle of keeping up as they trudge further into the forest. He even begins to feel remorse for referring to Hyungwon's beautiful skin as pasty—his complexion was actually really nice, no exceptions. Whether he’s standing in front of the class wearing freshly applied aftershave, or rushing in 10 minutes late because he had to ‘run’ from the parking lots on the other side of campus, Hyungwon was always _glowing._

 _Help the TA gather plants for the next semester,_ they said, _it’ll be fun,_ they said, _Minhyuk_ , _this is literally your last chance at any sort of extra credit this semester,_ Dr. Kim also said after handing Minhyuk his latest pathetically graded exam. But listen—it wasn’t his fault he ended up on the brink of pass or fail, he didn’t even mean to enroll in this class in the first place, but by the time he realized he hadn’t enrolled in _Astronomy Appreciation: Stars and other Sciences_ with Jooheon and Changkyun, it was already too late to drop _Intro to Botany_

(“How could you have accidentally done that? _Astronomy Appreciation_ is literally ASS101, how do you mix that up with BOT101,” Jooheon had said, “How do you forget _ASS_?”). 

Perhaps he _should_ take some responsibility for his grades. If he hadn’t insulted the TA’s major in a poor attempt of hitting on him, maybe he would have had a better time. If he had done that on the first day of class, rather than 3 weeks in, maybe he at least could have pawned it off as an honest mistake for thinking he was a fellow undergrad. If he hadn’t spent his first 3 weeks accidentally going to _ASS_ before he or _that_ professor realized he wasn’t even enrolled, then maybe he would have shown up on the first day of _Intro to Botany_ where Hyungwon was standing by Dr. Kim’s side, waiting for introductions. 

But of course that’s not now how it went, and nothing can be done to change the actions of past Minhyuk, and that’s why present Minhyuk was stepping through suspiciously tall grass behind the world’s most uptight and pretty TA. That wasn’t even the worst part of it, though. No—what made it so unbearable was that the wind seemed to have gone on holiday. Sweat coats Minhyuk’s flushed skin and offers no promise of relief of the suffocating heat. His hair sticks to the back of his neck like wet newspaper clinging to each other. His only solace are his sunglasses and top-heavy trees that work to shield the sun away from his eyes, but it’s hardly anything to celebrate when Hyungwon looks completely unbothered by their environment. 

While Minhyuk could _feel_ the sweat working like glue bringing marriage to his own skin and shirt, Hyungwon’s shirt still appeared dry and pristine, and Minhyuk was 99.9% sure it isn’t just himself looking at Hyungwon through horny goggles. He can’t help but wonder if his TA is an alien or a dabbler in the occult. 

“When are we going to get a break? You know, a chance to stop and rest? You know what that is, right?” Minhyuk pesters. Hyungwon stops this time. The look he offers Minhyuk, with his neatly shaped eyebrows hidden behind perfectly parted bangs, pierces him straight through the heart (and groin, if he’s being honest, but that’s neither here nor there). If he had looked at him like that for a second longer, Minhyuk would have gladly dropped to his knees and start worshipping him like the deity he looked to be—at least up until the moments he chose to finally speak.

As it were, Hyungwon turns away once more. “We’ll rest when we arrive at the cabin. It’s fine, we’ve only a mile more of walking.” 

Minhyuk lets out a shameless whine as they break through a clearing. The trees seem to sparse here, allowing sunshine on the abundance of plants taking advantage of the space. Fortunately he’s too focused on Hyungwon’s context of the word _only_ following the phrase _a_ _mile,_ to even begin to think about the afternoon heat source ready to beat against his back. 

And then, the next thing that captures his attention is how peculiar the area was. Various plants of different sizes and colors seemed to fill it like it were a garden tended to by the hands of someone whose green thumb extended to their entire being. Minhyuk finds himself squinting underneath the sun as his eyes travel across the open space. The longer he stares, the more he notices the oddities of the plants. The one closest to him looks exceptionally out of place, almost tropical with broad, curved leaves like a palm tree, only its height seemed to barely reach Minhyuk’s torso. Deep blue-green vines wrapped around the base and led the way to a much larger plant that looked like an oversized, orange flower. Green mist seemed to surround it as a warning and Minhyuk had no desire to inspect the petal’s unique texture. He looks at the other end and sees various patches of more standard-sized flowers. They almost looked like flowers he was familiar with in his mind, except each of them had unique features that made them uncanny. 

“What is this place?” He eventually asks when he remembers he’s with someone who may actually have answers, but by then, Hyungwon is already on the other side of the clearing, ready to walk back into the void of the forest. “Hey—Wait!” 

He starts to sprint across the clearing to catch up with Hyungwon, but he misses one of the thick vines hidden in the greens and his foot catches under it. Now, Minhyuk will deny this ever happened if it ever comes down to explaining the events of this weekend, but he was very grateful that Hyungwon’s back was to him when he faceplants into the ground. Luck was being fickle, however, and Minhyuk found the grass soft and cushioning when it met with his face. The commotion is enough to cause Hyungwon to turn around though, and he does so once more with judgemental eyes. 

Minhyuk will also deny his very visible swallow and falter in his words when he lifts himself to sit on his knees. He looks up at Hyungwon and ends up on the receiving end of his regal, scathing look. With the fantastical plants around them, Minhyuk almost felt like he was plucked from his own world and dropped into a scene of a medieval novel. All he needed was a sexy sword at his throat to really set the mood. As it were, Hyungwon gave a metaphorical slash to Minhyuk’s dignity when he scoffs and looks away. 

“You’re hopeless,” he says before turning around completely, “And there’s no need to gawk here, this is where we’re going to be spending the majority of our weekend.” 

Minhyuk gawks anyways as he remembers his reason for tagging along with Hyungwon in the first place. They were here to tend to and gather plants from the garden that belonged to the advanced botany classes. Minhyuk didn’t understand _why_ they had to do this when there was a botanical garden, as well as a greenhouse, on campus. Granted, as Minhyuk watched the vine he tripped over slithering back to its home of the giant flower, it was probably safe to assume these types of plants would not be found anywhere at school. 

Just as he’s about to get to his feet, an actual gust of wind blows and what comes with it is the most pleasant scent that Minhyuk can’t quite define. He turns his head toward the source and sees a small patch of white, iridescent flowers with a bright yellow center. Immediately, he finds himself entranced by them. Their petals looked so velvety, so rich in the holographic color and texture, Minhyuk suddenly wants nothing more than to crawl over and roll around in them. He thinks the flowers would like that too, it would be a mutual transaction of touches and totally not weird at all. 

“Minhyuk.” 

Hyungwon’s sharp voice cuts through his thoughts and he blinks, shaking his head a little before he glances in his direction. The look on Hyungwon’s face is enough that Minhyuk quickly stands and trudges behind him without muttering another word. 

❃

The cabin that serves as their lodging for the weekend was a lot fancier than Minhyuk had anticipated. That is to say, it looked more like a cottage than a cabin, and was furnished modestly along with actual appliances. As he glances around, he can understand why Wonho, TA #2, was upset for not being able to come out here this weekend. He had sprained one of his fingers and was told that a trip like this would've been too taxing on it. Rumours said the sprain was the result of a freak self-fingering accident—and why yes, Minhyuk was the proud inventor of said rumour.

There were two bedrooms—one large one with two sets of bunk beds, and a smaller one that had its own bed. Minhyuk figured that it was probably used by Dr. Kim whenever he was staying here, but since it was just him and Hyungwon, the older had quickly claimed the single bedded room for himself. Minhyuk wasn’t too bothered by it because he still had the other room to himself and the bunk mattresses were exactly like the ones he slept on when he still lived in the dorms. Plus, it became clear pretty quickly that they hardly were going to be spending a lot of time inside. Minhyuk had barely selected his bed before Hyungwon called him back outside. 

The first day was a _bit_ of a rough experience to say the least. Actually, by the end of it he couldn’t believe he thought this was worth the extra credit and felt a bit conned by Dr. Kim for agreeing to do this. Hyungwon had him start by trimming the leaves from the large orange plant. The attached vines kept trying to _tickle_ him and he wasn’t sure what was worse—the action, or the fact that if he ever even tried to complain to his friends about it, they wouldn’t believe him and probably reduce it to him tripping on shrooms. As _if_ Minhyuk would even attempt to eat mushrooms that were in this garden. 

Earlier Minhyuk had attempted to touch the tiny, umbrella shaped ones hidden underneath a broad leaf of another plant, but was quickly pulled back by the scruff of his neck. Hyungwon lit up the little alcove with a flashlight and revealed thin, sharp spikes that sat on every single mushroom. 

And _that_ turned out to be one of the more safer plants, Minhyuk would come to find out. 

About midday, he even tried to sneak a nap in the storage shed that was hidden behind some trees just outside the garden, but unfortunately there was no good place to lay down, and Hyungwon discovered him in record time, once again dragging him out by the scruff of his neck like a misbehaving cat. Minhyuk would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he liked being manhandled by Hyungwon a little bit. Or a lot. 

Hyungwon, objectively, was good-looking. Checked every single one of Minhyuk’s boxes, even. Hyungwon was tall, pretty-faced, and a little mean. Minhyuk was always against hooking up with fellow students who attended his small university, but he supposed it’s okay to make an exception if they’re _graduate_ students. Granted, he is very aware that Hyungwon bears not a drop of interest in Minhyuk himself—and that’s okay! Horny may be Minhyuk’s default mode, but he doesn’t need physical touch to appease his desires. He’s a child of the internet, isn’t afraid to call himself self-sufficient, and respects the boundaries of rejection. 

That doesn’t mean he can’t imagine, though. Perhaps Hyungwon has been the star of Minhyuk’s dreams—day, night, the occasional wet. Minhyuk knows to keep these thoughts to himself, even if being alone with Hyungwon was the deciding factor on agreeing to coming on this excursion (the extra credit was a plus, or rather a second silver lining to the otherwise terrible trip). On a scale of peachy to horrific, it definitely leaned toward the latter so far, but at least he had Hyungwon at his side to make sure he doesn’t do anything too dangerous or stupid. 

❃

By the time they were finished for the day, the walk back to the cottage was a mindless one. Minhyuk’s head was empty, save for images of the thin mattress inside , maybe a nice shower too. He didn’t even have a mind to nag or sneak glances at Hyungwon.

Their dinner is a couple of sad sandwiches because neither are good friends with the stove and Minhyuk refused to eat the near decade old instant ramen that was hidden in one of the cupboards. Hyungwon steals the shower before Minhyuk has the chance, and makes twenty minutes feel like hours. He sulks the entire time, impatiently sending complaining texts to his friends that never send because he has only one measly bar of signal. When the shower finally turns off, he rushes to the bathroom door, arms crossed and ready to mouth off at Hyungwon, however all that changes when he finally steps out. 

See, when Minhyuk steps out of a shower, he imagines that he looks more like a cat caught in the rain—his friends can attest to this. When Hyungwon steps out of the shower, he looks a lot more like—well, exactly like what Minhyuk has dreamed about. Minhyuk is just short enough that he has to tilt his head up to make eye contact with Hyungwon, but he doesn’t do it right away. His own face heats up while his eyes not so subtly rake up Hyungwon’s toned form, the towel wrapped firmly at his hips preventing him from peeking too hard. When Minhyuk’s eyes finally find his face, he realizes that Hyungwon is staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Minhyuk coughs and steps back, scratching at the back of his head. 

“Took you long enough,” he says with a forced laugh, chancing another quick glance at Hyungwon and looking away just as fast when he sees him still staring with the same expression. 

“It’s all yours now,” Hyungwon says and begins to walk away leisurely. He isn’t sure if it’s just the trick of light or wishful thinking, but he swears there’s a smirk gracing Hyungwon’s lips as he turns away. Minhyuk squeaks in affirmation and indulges in watching Hyungwon’s barebacked saunter into his room. Once his door shuts, Minhyuk snaps out of his horny trance and quickly rushes into the bathroom. 

He definitely entertained the possibility of seeing Hyungwon so _bare_ during this trip _,_ but clearly he was not as mentally prepared for it as he expected to be. Hyungwon looked to be crafted especially for Minhyuk and felt that familiar tug at his arousal when he replayed the image of Hyungwon’s bare skin on display right in front of him. What he wouldn’t give to sink his teeth into— 

The start of his X-rated thoughts cease the moment he turns on the water and realizes there is in fact, not a drop of hot water left. To put an end to his unfortunate afternoon, Minhyuk takes an unsatisfyingly cold shower and falls asleep before he could resend his texts that failed for a fifth time. 

❃

Minhyuk is surprised the next day when he wakes up naturally rather than with Hyungwon banging pots in his face. He’s quick to discover the reason why is simply just that Hyungwon enjoys his sleep. Maybe that was the secret to his unbothered beauty, rather than the witchcraft Minhyuk had assumed. When Minhyuk pokes his head into the other bedroom, he sees him still fast asleep. Or rather, he sees a giant clump of blanket moving slightly enough to indicate that _something_ was breathing underneath it. 

Minhyuk _did_ try to wake him up, he really did. Opened up the curtains, started speaking loudly, but when he tried to tug the blankets off of Hyungwon, his strength proved useless against a person so hell-bent on sleeping. But—so be it, Minhyuk wouldn’t mind a little time to himself anyways. After eating a quick breakfast of a bag of cheez-its he had stored in his duffel bag, he went outside and found himself not minding the morning air. It was overcast today, and without the sun, the outdoors were a lot more bearable. 

He decides to head out to the garden early since it was a downhill walk from cottage and therefore not too taxing to his stamina—plus his cell phone signal was a solid 20% better there. Once there, he chooses to settle down in the grass he had fallen into the day before, because it really was like velvet against his skin. Minhyuk settles with lying on his stomach, his phone in front of him. Trying to browse Twitter was completely useless, but he _does_ manage to successfully send a few texts in the group chat. It’s all very dramatic prose about the terrible time he’s having. He tries to send a couple of pictures of his environment as an offset, but unfortunately none of the pictures send, and it isn’t long before Minhyuk dozes off at the feeling of a gentle breeze flowing through his hair. 

His dream is a bit weird.

He’s a porn enthusiast, he isn’t one to ever deny it, and he’s proud even, to admit that he’s watched a lot of strange shit out of pure curiosity. How else was he going to expand his vast knowledge of the sexual world? This dream felt a lot like one of those videos, except not one he’s ever remembered seeing. 

He was still outside in the garden, except the only plant remaining was a large, sentient flower. It wasn’t talking, but it definitely had a body and seemed to sway seductively. No matter how he looked at it, the flower was definitely trying to seduce him. Dream Minhyuk isn’t really into it in _that_ sense, so he just stares at it with vague intrigue as a strange orange mist begins to emit from its phonograph shaped set of petals. At first, Minhyuk doesn’t think anything about it, but the mist appears to move with intention, swirling in time with the flower and toward him. It moves around Minhyuk fast and sways around his skin. He can’t actually _feel_ anything, but he senses something that should feel good, making his skin tingle and nose warm. The mist acts like it’s trying to coax Minhyuk, guide his eyes to the center of the flower—and so he continues to stare. 

He watches the flower center and after a moment, he begins to hear something. At first it’s really garbled, just a mumbling of a question. The voice is masculine and Minhyuk can’t help but take a step closer to listen. Dream Minhyuk can’t speak for whatever reason, but he urges the flower to speak again. This time it’s clearer—just enough that he can hear the syllables of his own name emitting from the center. His heart skips a beat because when it speaks for a third time, this time the voice is clear with urgency that makes the back of his neck prickle, and the tone is _so familiar_ —if it would speak just one more time he’s sure he’d be able to figure out where he’s heard it before and— 

“ _Minhyuk!”_

Minhyuk jolts awake at the feeling of Hyungwon’s foot digging into his side. He groans, the remnants of his dream leaving his brain fast as he tries to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He peeks at his phone and gathers he hasn’t been asleep for more than 45 minutes, but his body feels heavy like it had been hours. He starts to sit up and realizes in his sleep he must have rolled around quite a bit. He can feel some stray grass in his hair and instead of being at the center of the soft grass, he had ended up in the bed of flowers, near the ones with the nice scent he had noticed yesterday. 

Minhyuk leans in to sniff them just as Hyungwon nudges him with his foot again. 

“Get up. There’s work that needs to be done,” Hyungwon says flatly. 

Today, Hyungwon had Minhyuk pruning shrubbery that looked similar to a rosebush, but instead of flowers, there were small bulbous fruits scattered throughout it. The branches were spiky and even though Minhyuk was wearing ugly patterned gloves, his arms still got pricked when he wasn’t careful. He was having a pretty pathetic time and it must have looked like it too, because after a while Hyungwon approaches him.

“You know, there _are_ ways of doing this that doesn’t involve you hurting yourself,” Hyungwon says, his voice patronizing. Minhyuk turns around, his pestering reply staying in his head when he sees a tiny first aid kit and strange plant leaf in Hyungwon’s hand. He speaks again, “Come here and take off your gloves.” 

Minhyuk feels no shame when he obeys him without a second thought. Who was he to turn away being looked after by the sexy TA? He lets Hyungwon grab his wrist and clean the cuts along each arm. 

“So you have a warm heart underneath your icy exterior?” Minhyuk teases even though he half expects Hyungwon to somehow use the leaf as a knife instead. Which was highly probable—the leaf in hand looked like a heavy duty aloe vera leaf, only blue.

“Knowing you, you would let your wounds get infected with poison from another plant and you’d end up dying. That would look rather bad on me.” Hyungwon replies quickly and Minhyuk is honest enough to concede with his statement. He doesn’t say anything while Hyungwon places items back in the first aid kit. Minhyuk peaks inside and sees that it’s filled with the standard cotton pads, sterilization wipes and various medicine packets, but also contains more mysterious items like glass vials with colorful liquids. Hyungwon shuts it before Minhyuk has a chance to peek at the labels and then begins to apply the gel from the plant. At first, it feels like ice on his skin. Minhyuk tries his best not to flinch and soon enough the freeze simmers to a cool, and then he feels the irritation from the various cuts on his arm subsiding, instead replaced with an odd tingling sensation. 

He takes his eyes off of Hyungwon to look at his arms and sees that the cuts have already faded into light scars. His mind freezes briefly, suspended with a question of _is this really happening_ _or did those spiky mushrooms actually do a number on me?_ But then like a new breath of air, it passes and Minhyuk shrugs it off. 

“Thanks,” he says easily, making the brave decision to offer Hyungwon a pleasant smile in spite of knowing he would not be returned one. Hyungwon naturally ignores him and briefly steps away to put away the first aid supplies back in the storage shed. When he comes back, he’s carrying a stack of empty pots and a bucket of soil. 

“No more pruning for you,” he says, setting the bucket down and holding out the stacked pots to Minhyuk, “You can transfer some of the flowers to pots instead. This is the safest task for you, just don’t kill any of the plants. Who knows what Dr. Kim would slip into your food if you did that to his babies.” 

Minhyuk laughs until he sees the blank look on Hyungwon’s face. It wasn’t in his character to make jokes, however, he’d at least hoped it was an exaggeration. He swallows and looks down at the flower beds. 

“Right, no killing. Looks easy enough,” he mumbles mostly to himself as he kneels. At least the wind was present today, offering relief even as the sun began to pierce through the clouds. It also allowed the pretty aroma from the flowers to surround Minhyuk. Overall, potting flowers wasn’t a terrible job to have. 

He looks at the flowers and decides to start with the prettiest ones, the white ones with the yellow center. Minhyuk thinks about how pretty one of them would look in his hair. He looks back at Hyungwon and sees his back is turned, tending to a plant on the opposite end. With a devilish smile, Minhyuk reaches out to pluck one of them. Surely _one_ plucked flower wouldn’t be anything to fuss over. 

“No, not those flowers,” Hyungwon says suddenly like he has some sort of sensor for whenever Minhyuk misbehaves. He’s at Minhyuk’s side in an instant, “Those are a part of Dr. Kim’s personal collection.”

At that, Minhyuk’s eyes light up. Really, Hyungwon should have known that the entire statement would only compel Minhyuk to do the opposite. 

“Fantastic. I’m sure he won’t mind if there’s _one_ flower missing,” Minhyuk replies cheerfully. He reaches once more to pluck one and Hyungwon stops him once more, this time by grabbing his wrist. 

“They’re also dangerous,” Hyungwon warns, “You learned about it in class two weeks ago, don’t you remember? ” 

Bold of Hyungwon to assume Minhyuk has retained a single piece of knowledge from this class. Especially when two weeks ago it was Jaehyun’s turn to pay attention. He was Minhyuk’s lab partner, and they took turns taking notes during the lecture so that way at least _one_ person knew what they were doing during their weekly lab. Granted, Jaehyun was but an innocent, twink-passing freshman that was always too willing to take notes two, sometimes three lectures in a row. Also, Minhyuk’s handwriting was atrocious and his notes were always littered in doodles that hardly had anything to do with plants. 

Minhyuk yanks his hand away and reaches for the flowers again. 

“Don't—” Hyungwon starts, but the words fall deaf to Minhyuk’s ears, because he wasn’t stupid. He knew the saying about three leaves and this flower had five and clearly could _not_ be anything that bad. Unlike the other strange plants he encountered here so far, this one was unassuming and didn’t have any odd appendages or mists surrounding it. In fact, it was the most beautiful flower he’d ever seen and there was a whole patch of them. 

In hindsight, maybe that should have been warning enough for Minhyuk, as pretty things hardly come without a price. 

Minhyuk plucks one flower without a pinch of hesitation, a curled smile on his face. 

“Wouldn’t this look pretty tucked in my hair?” he says, completely oblivious to the look of panic on Hyungwon’s face before it’s masked with indifference. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he settles on, turning away just as Minhyuk glances at him again. And of course because that’s what he says, Minhyuk is all the more delighted to do it anyway. 

He starts to bring it to his nose to sniff, but just before it reaches him, Hyungwon grabs his hand and takes it from him. He half expected Hyungwon to throw the flower on the ground to stomp it to smithereens, even if just to see the joy leave Minhyuk’s eyes. 

Minhyuk, however, does not expect Hyungwon to kneel in front of him and place the flower in his hair for him. Hyungwon is careful about it, handles the flower so gingerly that Minhyuk feels bad for thinking he’d ever do anything to desecrate the plant. His breath catches in his throat when his eyes fall onto Hyungwon’s face and seeing just how close he actually is. Their eyes never meet, Hyungwon’s gaze never leaves the flower, and for that Minhyuk is grateful. When he finally moves away and stands up, Minhyuk is still speechless and can’t bring himself to look up at Hyungwon. 

“There,” Hyungwon says, “It’s in your hair, it looks fine. Now get to work.” 

Minhyuk nods and finally looks at Hyungwon. Their eyes meet, and he’s quite surprised to find Hyungwon still staring at him. His gaze falls to the flower in his hair and then back to Minhyuk’s eyes. Minhyuk can feel himself blushing and lowers his lashes, missing the way Hyungwon’s eyes follow their direction, from the blush in his cheeks, to the pout on his lips. After an awkward beat of silence, Hyungwon clears his throat and walks away wordlessly. Once Hyungwon has gone to his side, Minhyuk immediately pulls out his phone and checks his appearance in the camera. Hyungwon had placed it perfectly behind his ear and Minhyuk hates the way his heart seems to react as he replays the scenario in his mind. After making sure Hyungwon’s back is completely turned away, Minhyuk throws up a peace sign and takes a couple of selfies. 

He attempts to send the best one to Jaehyun, along with a question regarding the flower type and hopes it manages to send before getting back to work. Over the next hour, Minhyuk actually works at a decent pace, diligently potting a few flowers. Minhyuk was by no means a gardener, but he actually didn’t mind doing this work. These plants were a lot tamer than the others and the damp soil felt nice between his fingers. 

About halfway through, his phone buzzes and he’s pleased to see that not only did his picture to Jaehyun actually send, but Jaehyun had also kindly replied to him. 

> nice 

> that looks like one of those vision flowers we learned abt in class. it's like a psychedelic. 

> supposedly. gives u crazy weird dreams if u eat it.

> i think 

Now that certainly provided quality insight! Minhyuk tries to think back to what lecture that could have been. He vaguely recalls waking up from a nap and seeing a poorly constructed graphic with a list of symptoms, along with representative emojis. The specific words of said symptoms were never stored in his brain to begin with, but he does vaguely remember the emojis. At least, he doesn’t remember seeing any skull or coffin emojis to indicate that it was “dangerous”. He does recall the water emoji along with the bed emoji, in which he just assumes that one might get night sweats, maybe piss the bed. 

The cogs that make up Minhyuk’s brain start steaming as he works a plan in his mind. While he finishes up his task, the smile never leaves his face. Once he’s done potting the last flower, he finds Hyungwon to get his next assignment. 

Mischief must radiate off of Minhyuk like a scent because Hyungwon immediately eyes him up and down suspiciously when he approaches. 

“Is it okay if I take a break, now? I’m hungry.” Minhyuk grins, hands carefully placed behind his back and flower still tucked preciously in his hair. 

Hyungwon’s eyes fall to where his hands are hidden before briefly going back to Minhyuk’s. 

“That’s fine,” he responds slowly, “There’s some granola bars and juice in the backpack near the shed.” 

“Is that so?” Minhyuk says, and then grabs the flower stem and pulls it from my hair, “I hear that this can make a pretty decent treat too.” 

Hyungwon, who had briefly looked back at the work he was doing, finally eyed the subject of Minhyuk’s words. His expression was quite comical. 

“Minhyuk,” he warns, getting to his feet quickly. 

Minhyuk takes a step back, blinking innocently. 

“Hyungwon?” he says, bringing the flower near his nose, “It smells so nice, doesn’t it?” He laughs at the feeling of the pollen tickling his nose and inhales. His eyes close as the scent sends a shiver down Minhyuk’s spine. It’s even better up this close and personal, like a warm, plush blanket against the mind. Minhyuk grows even more excited for his fun afternoon. He grins and pulls the flower away. 

He speaks again, “Oh, did I get pollen on my nose, how silly of me! Why don’t you smell it too.” 

Minhyuk shoves the flower in Hyungwon’s direction and takes glee in the way he quickly reacts by taking a step back. 

“Minhyuk, you need to get rid of that flower right now,” Hyungwon demands and then makes a grab for it. 

Prepared for something like this, Minhyuk is quick to take a step back and pull the flower close to him. 

“Minhyuk—” 

Once again Hyungwon says his name as a warning and it sounds musical to Minhyuk’s ears. He keeps his devilish grin and takes another step backwards. 

“Yes, Hyungwon?” 

“Just give me the flower and I’ll give you the antidote right away,” he tries to reason calmly, though Minhyuk can clearly hear the edge in his voice. As if Minhyuk would want the antidote, anyway.

“See, I don’t really feel like doing that,” Minhyuk sing-songs and then proceeds to shove the entire flower in his mouth, snapping the stem off with his teeth. He winces a little at the initial earthy taste, but otherwise takes a thrill in Hyungwon’s near terrified face as Minhyuk chews. 

As far as taste went, he was actually impressed. The scent of the flower overpowered the earthiness and enveloped his mouth, the plush petals almost sweet on his tongue. It’s only after he swallows that he gets an aftertaste he wished he had something to wash it away with. 

The emotions on Hyungwon's face fade into nothingness soon after, and he stares at Minhyuk for what feels like an eternity before he turns away and begins laughing a little manically. 

“You actually ate the flower,” he says finally, voice dripping in disbelief, “You literally just—ate it.” 

Minhyuk’s unsure how to reply at first. He decides on a smile and crosses his arms, stem still between his fingertips, “I did.” 

Hyungwon begins to pace, his hands combing and tugging at his own hair as he mumbles incoherently. Then, suddenly he stops and stares at Minhyuk again.

“You’re an idiot.” 

“If I’m an idiot because I want to have a little fun, then fine I’m an idiot!” 

Hyungwon grabs him by the wrist and starts dragging him toward the storage shed, “Oh no you are _not._ And just who were you planning to have fun with?”

The moment Hyungwon’s hand touches Minhyuk’s skin, a strange spark shoots down his spine and his stomach does an odd flip flop. He staggers a little and tears his wrist away from Hyungwon’s grasp. He blinks at Hyungwon, wondering if he felt anything too, but the only look he receives from him is one of expectancy. 

“Myself?” Minhyuk replies, rubbing his own wrist, wondering just how fast the effects were to begin working. On that train of thought, he begins to regret not asking Jaehyun how much of the flower he should have consumed. If this was anything like weed, then he surely was in for a heavy time once it kicked in. He steadies himself and continues, “As if I’d even consider letting you join in on my fun.” 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes and continues to the storage shed on his own. Minhyuk watches after him and gets a strange feeling in his chest as their distance greatens. He settles on ignoring it, but still decides to follow him anyway—purely out of curiosity, of course. Hyungwon mumbles to himself again, a lot of it just sounding like synonyms for ‘idiot’, and pulls out the first aid kit from the shed. He opens it and sifts around, checking each of the tiny glass vials until he finds what he’s looking for. 

“Sorry, but I’m not allowing you to have your weird, lonesome fun,” Hyungwon says, then holds out the vial for him to take. This one has purplish liquid in it, almost inky. “You’re taking this now. I don’t even know if it will work since you _ate_ the fucking flower, but here.” 

Minhyuk snorts and looks away, “And why would I take that? It’ll go through my system and it’ll be fine. I’ll just stay in my room. It will be fine.” 

“Your room is right next to mine!” Hyungwon says in exasperation, which really makes no sense to Minhyuk. Honestly, he had pegged the entire botany department as the stoners on campus, being, practically and literally, certified plant fuckers. 

“Why are you so uptight, Hyungwon?” Minhyuk whines. He turns to look at Hyungwon once more, laughing as he says, “You’re acting like you'll be awake all night forced to listen to the wet sounds of me rubbing one out or something.” 

And to that, Hyungwon stills, staring at Minhyuk with a careful expression. 

“Minhyuk,” he starts, voice slow and careful, like he’s trying not to scare away a startled animal, “What exactly do you expect to happen after eating that flower?” 

Minhyuk swallows, not liking the fact that he’s being asked that question. Could Jaehyun have been wrong? 

“I—,” he starts, then stops, his mind struggling to form proper sentences underneath the harsh gaze of Hyungwon. It makes his skin itch and he has to look away before speaking again, “Well Jaehyun had said—”

Hyungwon interrupts him before he can finish his sentence. 

“So you believed whatever it is that Jaehyun told you,” he starts with a scoff, “You do realize that he’s also on the brink of failing, right? And he actually _stays awake_ for lectures.” 

The logic in Hyungwon’s observation was irrefutable and a nervous laugh leaves Minhyuk’s lips. 

“What, so you’re saying that consuming that flower won’t make me trip?” The smile on Minhyuk’s face is strained, and only tightens as Hyungwon lets another extended silence wash over them. 

“Minhyuk, if you know what’s best for you, you’ll take that antidote right now.”

Minhyuk eyes the bottle as it’s held out to him. He says, “And what happens if I don’t take it?” 

“This flower is a _wenrou xiang_ , a herbaceous plant with poisonous pollen. It is said to have been given to married couples who were in desperate desire of having a child. When the pollen is inhaled, it can function as an aphrodisiac of sorts, stimulating one’s sex drive to near animalistic levels.” 

Minhyuk pales and immediately grabs the vile from him. 

“So in other words…” he starts, but once again finds himself unable to complete his thought. 

“In other words, that fucking flower, that you decided to ingest makes you want to fuck,” Hyungwon supplies for him.

Minhyuk wants to laugh—because that’s what it is, a fucking flower, only the realization hits him full force that not only did he inhale the pollen, but he ingested the entire thing. Hyungwon hadn’t said anything about what eating the flower does, and at this point Minhyuk was too afraid to bring that factor up. He thinks about the strange sensations he was feeling toward Hyungwon only moments ago and quickly uncaps the vial lid. 

“Fantastic,” he says, “Do I drink the entire thing?”

Hyungwon nods with a sigh, “Unfortunately. Which means I’ll have to make more when we get back to the university labs because that was the last of the antidote. Mind you, it takes a dreadful amount of time to make such a small vial, too.” 

“Well lucky for you I’m at least smart enough to not make the same mistake twice,” Minhyuk says with a weak laugh that Hyungwon doesn’t respond to. Without further preamble, Minhyuk consumes the liquid swiftly. It’s incredibly bitter on the tongue, almost burns like alcohol on the throat, but Minhyuk is diligent in treating it like a shot and finishes it in one gulp. 

He fails to mask his disgust in his expression and catches Hyungwon rolling his eyes at his reaction. Minhyuk quickly clears his throat and holds out the bottle for Hyungwon to take.

“Is the antidote fast-acting?” he asks. Hyungwon takes the bottle and disappears momentarily to put that and the first aid kit away. Minhyuk takes note of the sensations he felt earlier at Hyungwon putting distance in between them and feels like that is an answer in itself. 

“It should be,” Hyungwon replies once he returns, “However, keep in mind that I’m not familiar with the effects of ingesting the flower. So—if later on you start to feel strange, let me know immediately.” 

Minhyuk nods and follows Hyungwon as he goes back to the clearing. He then grins and walks next to Hyungwon, looking at him as he asks, “By saying ‘familiar’ do you mean from personal experience?” 

At that, Hyungwon actually stops walking and Minhyuk doesn’t miss the way a faint blush seems to coat his cheeks. 

“I need you to spend the remainder of our day here moving the vines away from the flower beds. It’s affecting their growth,” he says instead of answering Minhyuk’s question. It puts a damper on Minhyuk’s mood because that plant’s vines were really too playful for Minhyuk’s liking. They remind him of tentacles more than anything else, but he decides on obeying Hyungwon’s orders without putting up an argument—Minhyuk figures it was best to satiate him before he really did end up mysteriously dead. 

❃

Moving the plant vines proved just as challenging as he thought and it really did take him the rest of the day because whenever he got one vine moved, another one would already be on its way back to the flower beds. 

The sun had only just started to fall out of the sky as they packed up for the night and headed back to the cottage. The walk is just as rough as the previous, Minhyuk's out of breath and smelly from a day’s worth of work by the time they walk inside. The routine is much like yesterday, except this time they opt to shower first and Minhyuk waits for his turn while seated in the living room rather than by the door. Dinner is just as pathetic as last night’s, but hope is not lost yet when Hyungwon reveals that the cabin actually has wifi when he turns it on to send a couple of emails. Minhyuk uses his skills of annoyance to weasel the password out of Hyungwon and spends the evening finally being able to catch up on missed conversations in the group chat, and sending paragraphs of complaints and responses. 

It’s the making of a modest, quiet night until after sometime, Hyungwon breaks the silence. 

“Oh, fuck.” 

Minhyuk wasn’t startled until he glanced in Hyungwon’s direction and saw him staring his way with a panicked expression. Minhyuk returns his look with one of confusion, eyebrows rising. 

“What is it?” he asks, then wipes at his face, wondering vaguely if there was a piece of a cheese slice that somehow had gotten stuck to his cheek. 

“You still feel fine, correct?” Hyungwon answers with a question of his own. Minhyuk takes a short second to look down at himself and think how he feels. Other than slightly full from dinner, he’d have to say it didn’t feel any different than usual. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” he replies, and it’s only after he says that does he think about the events that happened earlier in the day, and _right._ That’s why Hyungwon’s asking. “That’s a good thing, right?” 

Hyungwon is silent for a moment as he types on his laptop again, then nods. 

“Just don’t forget to let me know if that changes.” 

Minhyuk bites his lip, not fully satisfied with his answer, he gets up from his spot on the couch and moves behind the chair Hyungwon is sat at, trying to get a view of his laptop.

“Who are you emailing?” he asks leaning over his shoulder, squinting. He only has the chance to read the emails belonging to the other TAs along with large blocks of texts before Hyungwon slams his laptop shut and scowls at him. 

“You have no right to read my emails,” Hyungwon snaps in annoyance, “But if you must know, I’m just updating the other TAs on your situation. We all agree that we do not want to have Dr. Kim getting involved with this, so they were just giving me some more information on the possible effects of eating that flower.” 

The reply creates a sinking feeling in Minhyuk's stomach. He has a smile on his face that struggles to stay genuine. While he didn’t see what was in the email, he was sure that a simple _he’ll be fine_ wouldn’t take as many paragraphs that he had seen. 

“Ah,” he says eventually, rocking back on the heels of his feet, “So—are you going to share that information with me? Shouldn’t I be aware of what I may have gotten myself into?” 

“The best case scenario is that nothing will happen,” Hyungwon carefully sets his laptop on the coffee table, “You should just focus on that. Knowing too much of the _potential_ deadly side effects would only cause worry.” 

Minhyuk pales and instantly feels the need to relieve his stomach of its contents. 

“Did—did you say ‘deadly side effects’?” Minhyuk manages to squeak out while grabbing onto Hyungwon's chair for support. Hyungwon had muttered the words so casually, like he was simply commenting on what one should study when revising for a test. 

He hears Hyungwon sigh and Minhyuk doesn’t know when but at some point he stood up from his chair, and when he speaks, he’s standing right next to him. 

“Minhyuk,” Hyungwon’s voice is soft. Minhyuk bites his lip, an anxious habit that he hadn’t fallen into in a while. Slowly he turns his head and looks at Hyungwon. His expression is surprisingly soft and Minhyuk isn’t sure how he’s supposed to take that. Hyungwon continues, “You’ll be fine, I promise. No matter what happens, you’re not really going to die. If the worst case scenario happens to be the line of fate we’re following, don’t forget that you’re not alone. I’m here and I’ll do whatever needs to be done to help you, okay? So just carry on as normal.” 

As Hyungwon murmurs his words, quiet and gentle and wrapping around Minhyuk like a heavy blanket, he feels the tension in his stomach ease a bit. Hyungwon did have a point, if the flower actually does do him harm, Minhyuk had one of the smartest TAs with him. While the kitchen was bare of sustenance, it was filled with hundreds of other mysterious items Hyungwon surely had knowledge to use to create some sort of antidote to help—if it came down to it. Minhyuk finds himself smiling, feeling a strange sense of dizziness at Hyungwon’s rare, comforting words. 

“Thank you for taking care of me,” Minhyuk says sincerely, then breaks into a grin and gives Hyungwon a friendly slap on the shoulder, “You really are a lot nicer when I have the potential to die.” 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes but Minhyuk doesn’t miss the redness on his cheeks, so his grin never falters. Hyungwon doesn’t bother with a reply to Minhyuk and grabs his laptop before disappearing into his room. Minhyuk eyes the shut door briefly before going back to the couch, this time spreading out and laying down with his phone. Under the distraction of his friends and social media, any worries leave the forefront of his mind and it isn’t long before the long day of outdoor work catches up to Minhyuk and pulls him into a deep slumber. 

This dream is different from the last, in fact Minhyuk isn’t even aware that he’s in one at first. He’s in the garden once again. Hyungwon’s on the opposite end with a pen and clipboard making notes on the plants in that area and Minhyuk is moving large plant vines out of the flower beds. It’s a struggle because the vines seem to have a mind of their own and don’t want to leave the flowers. He doesn’t understand why that is until he has to grab one that’s moments away from digging its tip into the dirt. Minhyuk rushes over to it and prepares to yank it out. Only—before he grabs it, the vine seems to change course and goes around Minhyuk’s feet instead. 

At first he doesn’t mind, because this just means that it’ll follow him instead of trying to flirt with the flowers. However, the vine doesn’t just stop at his ankle, it seems to slither higher up until it reaches Minhyuk’s thigh. Minhyuk swallows because he starts to feel strange at the contact. 

_Uh, Hyungwon?_ He tries to call out, but he’s unable to actually make any sound. He looks around frantically and realizes that Hyungwon was no longer standing where he was, or anywhere else in the garden for that matter. Minhyuk feels panic begin to rise in him and another plant vine makes his way to him. He watches it—its movements are slow, almost teasing when it forgoes Minhyuk’s leg and instead makes contact with his hand. His initial instinct is to pull his hand away, but something urges him to keep it still, like he wants, _needs_ to feel it against his skin. 

It’s unfortunate that when the vine slides through his fingers, that urge only worsens, like he needs _more_ than just a touch. Suddenly a strange mist fills the air and even if Hyungwon _was_ still in the garden by now the air was so thick, Minhyuk wouldn’t have been able to see him anyway. As Minhyuk breathes, he notices that the scent in the air has changed too. 

It’s something familiar and pleasant and he can’t help but deepen his breaths to allow the scent to fill his lungs. He figures that it’s coming from the mist and he wants nothing more than to let it make home on his skin and inside his body. He feels himself getting hotter—and it’s only then that Minhyuk realizes something strange is going on. The weather was hot, or it should have been, with the cloudless sky pushing the sun to its highest point, yet it wasn’t until now that he began to feel the effects of it. Minhyuk shakes his head and tries to clear his mind, but it seems to grow more hazy as he continues to breathe in the mist. 

His blinks grow heavy and he tries to look around and finds himself falling to his knees. It’s then that he realizes he’s near the flowerbed of the strange flower that he had ingested earlier—wasn’t that just today? Minhyuk also notices that the mist is coming from them as well. He vaguely recalls that Hyungwon had told him _something_ about them, but can’t remember what it is. Surely it must have been something good, the flower was so beautiful and it smelled so _good,_ how could anything bad ever come from it?

The vine around Minhyuk’s thigh constricts slightly and it causes him to double over—but it’s not because of pain. With the way they rub and squeeze around his sensitive skin, Minhyuk actually _enjoys_ the sensation. He lets his legs spread a little and then realizes his head is now resting in the flower bed. Minhyuk lets his eyes close and he inhales deeply. This time it’s as if he can feel every piece of pollen enter his system and spread throughout his body. It feels like a visual spread of an ant colony, but at first, there isn’t any pain. It’s only heat, a painless fire that sears through the pit of his stomach and shoots up his spine. 

But then—the vines previously offering relief to Minhyuk unravel and pull away from him and he wants to _whine,_ but still he’s unable to vocalize anything. As he loses their touch, the heat begins to feel more real. Minhyuk tries to get up, but he feels too weak. He tries to call out for Hyungwon again, feels the strain in his throat from doing so, but it’s but a fruitless labor. Minhyuk just needs something, _anything_ to touch him and offer some sort of relief because he only feels himself getting hotter and hotter like a specimen underneath the sun and a magnifying glass. He looks ahead of him, staring at the beautiful flowers that now seem much more menacing than before.

He reaches out to them, thinking that maybe if he pulled them from the soil, maybe the mist would disappear and pain would cease. Just as he’s about to pluck one from the ground, a thorn he never remembered being on the stems, punctures his skin—and Minhyuk wakes up with a gasp. 

He sits up and inspects his fingers carefully for an open wound. He exhales a breath of relief upon realizing it was just a dream, only to realize that discomfort he felt in the dream seemed to follow him to reality. The room felt incredibly stuffy and he notices that during his sleep, Hyungwon must have put a blanket over him. 

_Hyungwon._

Just the mere thought of him and his actions sends another wave of heat throughout Minhyuk’s body. He quickly shoves off the blanket and sits up. His skin is clammy and he quickly surmises that he must have a fever. Hyungwon’s earlier words come back to haunt him and he swallows roughly. 

_I’m going to die,_ he thinks pathetically before calling out a very strained, _“Hyungwon.”_ It comes out much softer than he intended. He glances at his closed bedroom door and after waiting a few moments, he realizes he has no choice but to knock. 

He remembers how impossible it was to wake him this morning and dreads the idea of it being just as difficult now. With a huff, Minhyuk leans back into the couch and glances at the time on his phone. There was no doubt that by now Hyungwon was fast asleep. 

Minhyuk fans his face and tries to convince himself that maybe he was experiencing nothing more than a fever and just needed to simply sweat it out. He takes another deep breath and closes his eyes. His thoughts wander back to Hyungwon sleeping soundly in his room. He probably was burrowed underneath that thick blanket again and the thought causes Minhyuk to shift uncomfortably. Minhyuk shoves his own blanket to the floor for good measure. 

Even on the coldest of nights, Minhyuk always wakes up with his blanket around his ankles, so he can’t imagine how Hyungwon manages to burrito himself without waking up a suffocated mess. He wonders if Hyungwon also slept like that in the hottest parts of the summer. It’d be quite a shame. 

Hyungwon is the type of beauty that could call the sun out of hiding, but instead he shies away from the light. Minhyuk imagines how he _should_ sleep—on his back, maybe one arm is lifted, hand angled near his face, fingers just out of reach from his pushed back hair and lazily pointing to his long lashes. His eyelashes, cast downward, drawing the eye past the gentle slope of his nose and puffy lips, to his other hand that rests against the slow rise and fall of his chest. 

In this detailed scenario, Minhyuk imagines that maybe he’s shirtless too—he remembers what he saw yesterday after Hyungwon’s shower after all. His slender and toned body bared to the room, save for the blanket pushed down to his waist hiding anything below it—Minhyuk finds his throat suddenly very dry. 

He starts growing even more uncomfortable in his own skin, the heat of it not getting any better. So maybe thinking about a shirtless Hyungwon wasn’t the best idea, but whenever Minhyuk tried to move his thoughts elsewhere in his mind, they always found their way back to Hyungwon. He thinks about the plants in the garden, but then how Hyungwon’s voice changes when he talks about them. It leads Minhyuk to wondering that maybe if he’d actually paid attention to lectures he would have noticed this earlier. He thinks about the first meal he’ll have once they’re out of these fucking woods, but then he also wonders if he’d be able to drag Hyungwon to his favorite resturant across from their university. 

Fuck it—he even tries to think about Jooheon, neutral ground and strictly platonic, but even then his mind can’t help but shove Hyungwon into the center of that narrative as well when he wonders if Hyungwon has friends. 

He can’t stop thinking about Hyungwon and the heat bears Minhyuk no release. It seems to get worse even, seeping underneath his skin, gathering into one particular spot—pooling in the pit of Minhyuk’s belly and, _oh._

_Oh no._

Minhyuk’s eyes tear open, he takes a moment to think about the dreadfully familiar tightness of his boxer briefs before finally casting his gaze downward. 

Minhyuk was definitely hard and _oh no,_ Minhyuk was definitely hard and he may actually die before he gets any release. A thought terrorizes his mind in a flash as he wonders if he _did_ die, would his body well, let him release? Or would he just be in a permanent state of hardness. The thought probes even more terrible images in his mind as he imagines Hyungwon finding him the next morning.

It instills enough fear in Minhyuk that he realizes that he has only one choice at this point. If he _is_ going to die, he must make sure to jack off _before_ doing so. There’s no way he was going to let Hyungwon find him in such a state, so he stands and makes a step toward his room. Only—his legs seem to give out from underneath him and he collapses to the ground with a thud. He groans, but is more shocked than in pain. Minhyuk sits up and takes in the state that he was in. He gives into the situation he’s found himself in and lays back with another thud. 

Maybe Minhyuk’s face was sealed already and this really _was_ how he was going to die, and of course Minhyuk had to make it worse by collapsing to the floor. He fails to stop the image of Hyungwon finding him like this and he resolves to just give in to his fate—when suddenly Hyungwon’s door opens from somewhere behind him. 

“Minhyuk?” 

Ah, no, maybe Hyungwon finding him on the floor like this was perhaps the worst timeline. It wasn’t the fact that Hyungwon actually found him on the floor in a pathetic state, but rather the moment he heard his name on Hyungwon’s lips, his skin set ablaze all over again, his mind momentarily short circuiting. To be turned on simply by the sound of his voice made Minhyuk feel a little pathetic. 

He replies with a dejected whine and peaks up at Hyungwon, their eyes meeting at the same time. Minhyuk ignores the way Hyungwon’s gaze flickers across his entire form before he kneels next to him. 

“Why didn’t you call for me?” Hyungwon chides, he seems like he wants to help Minhyuk sit up, but his hand movements are hesitant.

“I tried,” Minhyuk manages to get out, “Am I dying?” 

He glances at Hyungwon, and is almost tempted to look away. His hair was pushed back and a little messy, like he had been constantly running his fingers through it—it was dangerous of Minhyuk to let his eyes linger on him for too long, the burn in his stomach becoming almost unbearable, but he noticed something peculiar. There’s something _off_ about Hyungwon. His hands are near Minhyuk, but not touching like he wants to, and his eyes seem to be looking everywhere _but_ at Minhyuk. Did he really look that bad? 

He realizes his question was left hanging in the air unanswered, so Minhyuk waves a hand in front of Hyungwon. He startles and backs away just a hair more. It’s slight, but Minhyuk notices and frowns. 

“What’s wrong?” he presses, “Am I contagious? Why won’t you look at me?” 

Hyungwon takes another careful push backwards, eyes downcast when he finally speaks again, “You’re not contagious. I just don’t want to cause you any more pain, and erm—that’s all.” 

There’s an unusual shake to Hyungwon’s voice, as if he’s not being completely truthful with his words. Minhyuk stares at him, and only stares at him. He hopes his eyes can burn holes into him. It’s dark in the living room, but the moon and stars and outdoor porch lights provide just enough light that Minhyuk’s sure he can see a soft flush to Hyungwon’s cheeks. 

Minhyuk scoots, or rather drags himself a little closer to Hyungwon. It’s a mix of reactions in his own body. The burn is a constant, but there’s also a thrumming in his veins—and other areas—telling him to urge even closer. 

“Hyungwon,” he says, voice clear and a little heavy with intention. To that, Hyungwon actually does look at him, and it’s an entirely new sensation when their eyes meet. His eyes are like daggers that stab Minhyuk in the head and cause it to pulsate like a fresh migraine. Minhyuk immediately has to drop his eyes, his body quick to follow when he collapses against the floor _again._ Somewhere near him he hears Hyungwon’s gasp and maybe words that Minhyuk can’t bother to comprehend. He was well past the image of pathetic and couldn’t even bother to feel shame. 

The pain in his head is too much and he lets his cheek rest against the floor. It’s cold, but offers little relief, instead acting like a pan to Minhyuk’s stovetop skin. His entire body feels like one overheated heartbeat, the pulse of it heavy and loud from head to toe. He drinks in the rhythm, though. It gives him some semblance of his consciousness. He wonders if Hyungwon can feel it too, and it’s at _that_ thought that he swears he can feel a second heartbeat as well. This one is quicker, feels like the wings of a hummingbird.

Why was Hyungwon so nervous? 

Minhyuk feels tired underneath the weight of his pain and wonders if the only way now to ease it is to just let sleep pull him under. It’s a dangerous thought, his mind realizes, but perhaps it’s just the path he’s meant to take. 

But he can’t shake the feeling of Hyungwon’s presence. It’s like an itch that he can’t scratch, but maybe he’s getting closer to it. Or maybe it’s Hyungwon getting closer to him. He can feel it, Hyungwon’s hand somewhere over the mop of Minhyuk’s hair, like it wants to touch but there’s something keeping him from doing it. Minhyuk feels a tingle on his head in the spot where Hyungwon’s hand _should_ be, but it only continues to hover. 

Until it doesn’t. 

Slowly, gently, cool hands filter through the damped strands of Minhyuk’s hair. It’s like the crack of a raw egg for Minhyuk. Slowly moving like molasses, a wave of relief washes over Minhyuk’s body, starting from where Hyungwon’s fingers touch his skin and tingles all the way down to his feet. For a moment, Minhyuk’s mind feels clear and soothed, the tiredness gone from his bones—

And then far quicker than it came, the relief disappears and Hyungwon’s touch feels like a brand iron that sets Minhyuk’s body blazing. 

This time, Minhyuk can hardly control the movement of his limbs. All he knows is that there’s only one thing he wants, and that is to _want._

His eyes shoot open as his hand takes hold of the one in his hair. In a flash, he’s sitting up and staring at Hyungwon with desperate eyes, pulling Hyungwon closer before his brain catches up with the needs of his body. 

“ _Please,”_ his voice is no more than a plea of desperation, and for what, he doesn’t know, only that Hyungwon’s hand in his makes him want more and he tugs Hyungwon’s hand again with enough force that Minhyuk falls on his back. This time, Hyungwon follows. 

The hummingbird heartbeat is back, but this time Minhyuk wonders if it’s his own when his mind _finally_ catches up and he finds himself staring up at Hyungwon hovering over him, hands braced on either side of Minhyuk to keep from falling against him. 

There’s something restrained in Hyungwon’s eyes and face—the first thought that flies through Minhyuk’s brain is that he’s constipated, but he quickly assesses their positions and pushes that thought out. He opens his mouth to say something, anything, but Hyungwon beats him to it. 

“Minhyuk,” he starts, an almost undetectable strain in his voice, “I don’t—” 

With the murmur of his name, another wave of heat washes over Minhyuk. He grabs for Hyungwon’s hand, needing that fleeting ache of relief, only for his actions to cause a terrible chain reaction. Hyungwon loses his balance with only one hand and a knee falls in between Minhyuk’s legs. 

The moan that escapes Minhyuk’s lips is pure filth and his eyelids fall heavy as he drinks in the pleasure from the new area of contact. 

And of course his brain pries open his eyes when it’s realized what he’s just done and finds Hyungwon mirroring his expression. 

“I’msorry,” he rushes out, hoping it sounds sincere even though every part of his body wants nothing more than to allow Hyungwon to touch every part of him. They continue to stare each other down while Hyungwon steadies himself. He keeps his hand in Minhyuk’s, like he knows it’s the only thing keeping Minhyuk from losing his mind. 

“I don’t want to take advantage of you.” 

It’s almost a whisper, Hyungwon’s words—barely heard over the noise in Minhyuk’s mind, only just slipping in and displaying themselves for him to catch before his thoughts rush elsewhere. It causes him to pause and stare at Hyungwon with clear eyes. 

“What?” he asks. He wants to hear it again, in case he misheard, or perhaps to offer Hyungwon a chance to change his words. Take advantage of _Minhyuk?_ Minhyuk who had more wet dreams about Hyungwon than fingers on his hands? Minhyuk that never learns in a lecture because he’s too busy imagining himself on coffeeshop dates with the stupidly studious outfits Hyungwon wears when he’s in TA mode? Minhyuk that hasn’t been able to _stop_ thinking about Hyungwon the moment he crushed the flower between his teeth? 

“I said, I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Hyungwon speaks clearly this time, “You’re in a state where what you want and what you think you need are very clouded right now. Once your mind is healed again, you might regret everything.” 

It’s careful, guarded even, but Hyungwon looks at Minhyuk and he can see the sincerity in his eyes, the worry behind every touch he didn’t make due to his fear of hurting Minhyuk in some way or another. Which, on any other day Minhyuk would be touched, smitten even. Feelings of lust would maybe melt into something more soft, meaningful. 

But Minhyuk was fucking horny and was starting to feel a lot like searing water on a stove that was getting ready to boil over. He tears his hand from Hyungwon’s gentle grasp to grab his face instead. Minhyuk pulls him down and revels in the weight of Hyungwon’s body over his and then brings their lips together in a first kiss. 

It’s not the most graceful moment. It’s a little rough, with a slight clash of teeth that could have been a lot worse if Hyungwon didn’t have control of his own body. It’s rushed and a little chaotic, but it’s also everything Minhyuk could have wanted and more. 

After the initial shock of Minhyuk’s actions, Hyungwon is quick to recover, pleased even to delve further into the kiss and easily taking control.

“You have been in my dreams,” Minhyuk confesses somewhere between attempts to take breaths, “since the first day I saw you.”

In any other circumstance, it may have been embarrassing to admit so bluntly, but Hyungwon was kissing him back, indulging him with touches and Minhyuk’s brain was deteriorating at a rapid rate. Hyungwon’s lips leave Minhyuk’s but he doesn’t have a second to be disappointed before they’re on his neck, tasting him like he’s something that would melt in the heat. He finds his grip on the back of Hyungwon’s shirt, and Hyungwon takes that as a cue to press his body against Minhyuk’s. They’re still clothed, but it still sends Minhyuk’s body singing at the contact, like the pressure building inside him is finally finding some form of release. 

“I’ve wanted to shut you up like this the very first day you finally showed up to class,” Hyungwon says, offering his own little confession, “It was so infuriating. Who shows up to a class nearly a month after it starts?” 

Minhyuk would be lying if he said he _wanted_ to have a conversation right now, but the knee between his thighs is like a promise so he perseveres. 

“It was an honest mistake,” he manages. 

Hyungwon sneaks a hand underneath Minhyuk’s shirt, bites at his exposed collarbone and he almost comes right then. 

“You hit on me too,” Hyungwon hums, his hand sliding up the expanse of Minhyuk’s hidden skin—Minhyuk whimpers, “Asked me if I wanted to ditch class to hook up in a greenhouse instead of falling asleep in lecture. The _worst_ thing was, that you actually _did_ fall asleep when I gave lectures.” 

Minhyuk feels a lot like he’s on trial right now. Hyungwon’s words are like a list of charges brought up against him and his hand is the chain around his neck, waiting for the chance to tug him over the guillotine and let go of the rope. He isn’t sure if he should grovel an apology or agree as a confession. Minhyuk decides none of it matters anyway, because Hyungwon doesn’t stop at Minhyuk’s silence, instead, he brings his lips back to Minhyuk’s. 

This time it’s more tongue than teeth, and Minhyuk’s brain forgets the meaning of every word except for _more._ When Hyungwon guides a thumb over one of his nipples, Minhyuk’s hips lift of their own accord, and even that loses meaning as well. 

He gets lost in the pleasure of it all. Every touch feels like a firework bursting on his skin, from the swipe of their lips, to the grinding of their hips. Minhyuk doesn’t even care that clothes still separate him from what he really wants—not when he knows what Hyungwon’s mouth tastes like or what the weight of his fingers feels like against his chest.

All it takes is a sharp roll of Hyungwon’s hip, in time with the bite of Minhyuk’s lower lip and suddenly everything seems to burst—and release. 

Minhyuk’s brain momentarily feels like a blank slate. Everything is pure, numbing, even sounds seem nonexistent. But as quickly as it came, it goes, and Minhyuk’s senses fall back to him like a rising tide. 

Minhyuk’s first thought: “I just came in my pants. I haven’t done that since high school.” 

His voice is exasperated, and it’s also a lie, but Hyungwon doesn’t need to know about the incident that happened 7 months ago. 

At Hyungwon’s lack of response, it urges Minhyuk to open his eyes and he finds Hyungwon’s face still very close to his own, his eyes seeming to watch him with intrigue. Minhyuk tilts his head as if to ask _what?_ And Hyungwon responds with a too gentle kiss in the corner of his mouth before he sits back on his knees, then helps Minhyuk sit up also. 

“And look, it’s over and I have no regrets,” Minhyuk says just to break the silence, “I’d do that again even without a sex flower almost killing me.” 

“You speak as if you’re already over its influence” Hyungwon replies, an eyebrow raised, “Do you think that’s it?” 

Minhyuk blinks. He saw, he conquered, he came, was that not enough? Just as he’s getting ready to say the words out loud, that dreadful burn starts to creep upon him again.

“It’s—it’s not?” Minhyuk asks even though he knows the answer, the heat already reaching below his stomach. 

“Remember I told you the purpose of the pollen?” Hyungwon replies, his hand hovering over Minhyuk’s. Even the ghost of his touch is enough to send shivers down Minhyuk’s spine. “It’s used to encourage fertility between couples. That is to say, it sort of draws out the instinct of _wanting_ to make a _baby_.” 

“So you’re saying I’m not going to be satisfied until I get knocked up?” 

Minhyuk’s voice is strained with the image of himself begging to be bred the rest of his life. Hyungwon’s laugh startles him back to reality. 

“It’s different for everyone who takes it, supposedly,” Hyungwon says, pulling his hand away. He sits back on them, regarding Minhyuk with playful eyes, “So if that’s the feeling that you’re feeling, then who am I to argue otherwise? And it’s only for as long as the pollen’s in your system. Typically, people just inhale the pollen, which lasts a few hours depending on how much is inhaled, but since you ingested it. There’s a lot more of its content to be absorbed in your bloodstream…” 

“So there’s no telling how long I’ll be like this?” Minhyuk whimpers and rubs his face. His skin feels like it’s on fire again and he can already feel Little Minhyuk getting up and ready for round two. “I’m literally going to die, aren’t I?” 

God, what would his mom think? Fuck—what would his _friends_ think? Would Hyungwon tell them the truth of his death? He tries to picture it, his tombstone carved with the words ‘ _Minhyuk Lee, died like he lived: an idiot’._ If Minhyuk had his way, he’d amend it to ‘... _died like he lived: just trying to have a good time.’_

“Hey,” Hyungwon’s voice once again drags Minhyuk away from his spiraling thoughts. He can’t help but grumble at the reaction, clearly his body was just needy for the person who was actually going to watch him die. As if Hyungwon could hear Minhyuk’s mind, he says, “You’re not going to die. I’m not going to let you die. I told you that I’m here for you, and that I’ll do whatever needs to be done to help you out.” 

His words are slow, and eye contact deliberate like he’s trying to make sure Minhyuk understands the implications of his words. The heat in Minhyuk’s belly intensifies under Hyungwon’s suggestion and he can feel himself growing weak with need _again._

“You sure did say that.” Minhyuk replies dumbly and crawls, yes—fucking _crawls_ over to Hyungwon, “You mean it?” 

His movements make Hyungwon nervous, Minhyuk watches the way his eyes drop, looking anywhere but at him. 

“I wouldn’t say the words if I didn’t mean them,” he mumbles, almost shyly. But then he seems to pick himself up again, sincerity in his tone when he continues, “But also, I _don’t_ want to take advantage of you. I’m sure if I called Dr. Kim, he might have an idea of something I could give you to keep you alive until the pollen leaves your system—”

Minhyuk cuts him off by straddling his lap and kissing him quiet. He wasn’t one to be so forward like this, usually prefers to linger, slink around and let his partner come to _him._ So he was acting a little out of character, but Hyungwon was offering to dick him down to _save his life,_ yet Hyungwon thought Minhyuk would be open to alternatives. Sometimes pleasure comes with a price— _and boy has Minhyuk come_ —but the price this time presented itself as an opportunity of mutual satisfaction. There was no reason that he should deny either of them this moment. 

He grips Hyungwon’s hair as if he’s trying to prove to him that this was something he wants, and if not that, then maybe the tongue down his throat or thighs around his waist could convince him otherwise. 

Thankfully Hyungwon is a fast learner, malleable to any situation that’s thrown his way and his hands find their way to Minhyuk’s hip and squeeze like they’re a part of his own lifeline. Minhyuk feels the buzz of bliss on his skin and smiles against Hyungwon’s lips. 

“I need and want you to fuck me,” he murmurs against them, “ _Please._ ”

He feels the bluntness of Hyungwon’s nails dig into his hips. 

“Let’s go to my room then, yeah?” 

Minhyuk would like to say that this was a sexy moment—that Hyungwon picked him and carried him to the bedroom and threw him onto the bed like in the most scandalous scene of a bad romcom or cliched porno. Instead, it’s less picking up and moreof Minhyuk struggling to stand while Hyungwon drags them along, but they make it to Hyungwon’s room in one piece. Minhyuk essentially collapses on the bed, face first into the pillow. He manages to turn around with a little scrambling, shoving a dog eared book to the side. When he looks at Hyungwon he forgets to be embarrassed because for the first time that night Minhyuk notices the burgundy silk pajamas that he was wearing. He’s in the process of unbuttoning his shirt, but Minhyuk can’t even lament his missed chance of admiring him wearing them, because the promise of bareskin underneath all but sets Minhyuk on fire. 

His throat feels very dry, and his eyes wander across the expanse of Hyungwon’s skin when he crawls onto the bed and to Minhyuk.

“You’re obsessed with seeing me shirtless, aren’t you?” Hyungwon teases, his hand lifting up Minhyuk’s unimpressive old t-shirt. Minhyuk just lets himself be handled, not caring where his shirt is tossed when it’s finally off him, “I quite admire you shirtless, too.” 

While Hyungwon’s muscles were slightly more defined, Minhyuk was pretty toned himself. Minhyuk thinks if he already wasn’t so hot, he’d be blushing. But he was already past the point of sexy talk and coyness and Hyungwon’s exploring hand on his abdomen wasn’t doing anything to satiate his desires.

“May I remind you,” Minhyuk says, eyes fluttering in spite of himself when Hyungwon toys with his nipples again—he really must have taken notes from round one, “That I am literally _dying_ and perhaps we should keep foreplay to a minimum, please.” 

Hyungwon has the actual nerve to smirk and kisses Minhyuk’s cheek before reaching down to tug off Minhyuk’s sweatpants and underwear in one go. 

_Finally,_ Minhyuk thinks, and something between a sigh and moan escapes his lips with Hyungwon wraps a hand around him. He’s ready to get lost in pleasure, but then a sudden thought momentarily halts the gears in his deteriorated mind. 

Minhyuk grabs Hyungwon’s wrist to stop him and the action causes part of his horny brain to get angry at his smaller, logical brain. Really, he almost sees red, like a lick of heat screaming at him to beg Hyungwon to continue. 

Fortunately, his logical brain is able to take control of his mouth. 

“Do we have lube?” he gasps, “Wait—am I going to make my own lube?” He winces at the question his horny brain supplies, but imagines it nonetheless, almost wanting to reach back to see if his ass was actually starting to leak— 

Hyungwon reaches somewhere to Minhyuk’s right, to a night stand, and pulls a sealed bottle of lube from a drawer. Minhyuk’s eyes widen at its sudden appearance. 

“Why is there lube here?” he asks even though he probably does _not_ want to hear the answer. And if Hyungwon’s eye roll is anything to go by, he was probably with a similar mindset.

“Why _else_ would there be lube here?” Hyungwon counters as he opens the bottle, “Don’t think too hard about it though.” 

Unfortunately it’s already too late, the thoughts thickly in his mind even in spite of his predicament, and Minhyuk hates himself for it. He should have thought it odd that Dr. Kim having those flowers in the garden was weird in the first place, but now with the addition of lube to the equation, Minhyuk wants nothing more than to burn the thoughts from his brain. 

Fortunately, Hyungwon holds the metaphorical torch for him when lube-coated fingers yank Minhyuk out of his mind when they find grip around his dick. 

“ _Fuck,”_ Minhyuk grits out, the fire of the pollen at its most painful point again, fighting with the pleasure of Hyungwon’s hand. Minhyuk makes a grab for anything, and settles on gripping Hyungwon’s shoulder. He lets his eyes close of their own accord and allows himself to take pleasure in the way Hyungwon’s touch sends sparks to every part of his body. It feels a lot like the licking of wounds, soothing the burn in his belly and Minhyuk wonders if he’s saying some of this out loud because Hyungwon sinks dangerously low and replaces his hands with his mouth. 

The noises that leave Minhyuk’s mouth are nothing short of embarrassing, but Hyungwon’s also hiking Minhyuk’s legs up, so really he should be long past the point of any such feelings. The first hint of Hyungwon’s fingers going exactly where they’re supposed to be has Minhyuk digging nails into Hyungwon’s flesh. On another day, Minhyuk would be all too willing to admire the marks he’s able to leave on the other, but now there’s nothing more that matters than Hyungwon’s hot mouth and slick fingers. 

“Minhyuk.” 

Minhyuk doesn’t know _how_ he hears the low murmur of his name, but it’s like a slow pull on his consciousness and he opens his eyes to stare at the mouth that grabbed his attention. Hyungwon’s returned stare almost makes Minhyuk come a second time. 

There’s a small thought that perhaps Minhyuk had already died, that this was just his afterlife, because there was something completely ethereal about Hyungwon looking up at him from between his legs, lips swollen and slick with spit and fingers still moving as they prepare him for what’s to come. 

“You look so pretty like this,” Hyungwon says as Minhyuk thinks the exact thought about him, “You _sound_ so pretty.” 

Hyungwon kisses Minhyuk somewhere on his thigh while Minhyuk prepares to say _ditto_ after hearing the strain in Hyungwon’s own voice. 

Once again, Hyungwon directs his mouth to other plans when his fingers leave Minhyuk and he’s left clenching around what _should_ be there. He wants to complain, a whine even escapes his lips before he says anything. 

Hyungwon shuts him up with a pointed stare as he sits back to remove the remainder of his clothes. Briefly, Minhyuk thinks back to last night, pre-sex flowered when the image of Hyungwon’s dick was only something in his imagination. If he weren’t in such a state of, well, dying, he’d want nothing more than to suck Hyungwon off before going any further. Even now he still has a mind to, but before he can even convince his body to lunge forward, his mind short circuits when Hyungwon coats himself with the lube and positions himself over Minhyuk. 

“Hi,” Minhyuk squeaks more than he _says,_ and then nothing else because he’s finally so close to getting what he wants, the heat of Hyungwon’s skin near his, feeling more like the tug of a magnet. 

Hyungwon replies with a kiss somewhere on the apple of his cheek and then one more on his jaw before sitting back up to position Minhyuk accordingly. 

They speak to each other through eye contact, Minhyuk giving him the okay to _go,_ and when Hyungwon _finally_ pushes into him everything that Minhyuk’s feeling intensifies tenfold. The pressure, the unfamiliar stretch and burn is everything that Minhyuk has been wanting. He can feel his lips mumbling something, the rumble in his throat, but his mind is too far gone to think about what the words are when the only thing going through his mind is _Hyungwon, Hyungwon, Hyungwon._

Every thrust feels like an act of a god. His veins were on fire, but it no longer hurt, it was complete euphoria and maybe pollen was just some natural form of heroin because Minhyuk felt like nothing would _ever_ compare to this feeling again, or maybe it was just what it felt like to be with Hyungwon because everything just felt so right. He clenches around him, takes pleasure in the special jerk it does to Hyungwon’s thrusts—and as punishment, or perhaps a reward, Hyungwon has them switch positions, and soon Minhyuk finds himself on his hands and knees. 

By now there’s nothing coherent coming out of his mouth, only loud mewls of pleasure to harmonize with the slapping of skin and Hyungwon’s own moans. At some point, Minhyuk manages the occasional ‘ _harder, please’, ‘faster, please,’ ‘Hyungwon, please’_ sprinkled in between. 

The heat in his gut is building, readying to burst and wash Minhyuk in rekindled pleasure _._ Minhyuk’s hands give way and he collapses, cheek against the pillow when Hyungwon aims just right and has Minhyuk seeing stars before he’s even released. He feels so _full,_ so satisfied and soon the pillow dampens and Minhyuk realizes that there are tears staining his face and he can’t even bring himself to care because he’s almost there, he can _feel_ the familiar rise of everything ready to spill over—

But Hyungwon leaves him feeling empty when he has the urge to change positions _again_ and Minhyuk momentarily feels nothing but despair. But there’s a kiss at his spine that recharges him and he allows Hyungwon to urge him up and shift around. 

“Wanna see your face,” Hyungwon reasons with a kiss to Minhyuk’s neck. His voice is breathy from exertion and to Minhyuk, it’s the hottest thing he’s ever heard. With that voice he would do anything asked of him, even if it led to his own demise. 

He bites on his lower lip and looks up Hyungwon when he finds himself on his back again. Minhyuk tried to think about how he must look to Hyungwon in that moment, with his hair damp and partially stuck to his skin, laid out and spread for him, bedroom eyes that never stray too far from his gaze. 

A hand reaches down, pulling Minhyuk’s lip away where his teeth had it hidden, a thumb swipes at the saliva he hasn’t done good at keeping in his mouth the entirety of their time like this, and then it moves along the mold of his neck and down the plains of his torso. It feels like little electric shocks where his fingers touch and Minhyuk would almost expect to see reddening marks in their leave. 

“Fuck.” It’s the only thing Hyungwon manages to say before he guides himself back in. Hyungwon’s face is so close to his now, he feels like he could count every lash if his brain was coherent enough. Minhyuk briefly admires these moments of unfiltered expressions on Hyungwon. Without the masked indifference, Hyungwon’s beauty reaches new levels. With every look of desire and pleasure, Minhyuk makes sure to burn this into his memory forever. 

This angle is different from their first position. Hyungwon’s pressed much closer to Minhyuk this time, and Minhyuk urges them even closer when he uses his legs to pull them chest to chest. Hyungwon’s thrusts become more sporadic and there’s something unhinged about the way his teeth graze against Minhyuk’s shoulder. Minhyuk hands clamber across Hyungwon’s back, not really trying to find a grip but taking pleasure in the heat of his skin. 

“ _Hyungwon,”_ Minhyuk moans, strained and breathy and it completely shatters Hyungwon’s already staggered pace. His lips find Minhyuk’s and he kisses like he’s trying to get a taste of the pollen himself. One hand grabs hold of Minhyuk’s face while the other reaches between his legs and it sends a new wave of pleasure that sparks at the tip of his toes and fingertips. 

With Hyungwon’s strokes and thrusts just barely working together in time, Minhyuk’s battle against pleasure is a hopeless one. It’s like a bolt of lightning snapping a tree in half. One moment he’s caught in the middle of a storm, and the next, he feels the crack of the lightning bolt like the snap of his spine—pleasure taking over all of his senses as he spills into Hyungwon’s hands. Words he can’t hear or think about escape his own lips, but none of that matters as he rides the wave of ecstasy, letting his jaw slack and eyes shut tightly. 

For a moment it’s like time stills, like Minhyuk’s transcended into another realm where the elements cease to exist. Has he finally really died or just reached nirvana? His mind feels completely buzzed and maybe this _is_ his new forever. It’s a new plane of existence for Minhyuk, but faintly, he can hear the call of his name falling out of Hyungwon’s mouth. He grabs it like a balloon meant to carry him back to earth, and once again he feels himself back in his own body, still tingling from an orgasm he didn’t know was achievable. 

Somewhere in the flurry of his consciousness, he still feels the push of Hyungwon’s face in his neck. Slowly the world around him fades back into the view of his eyes just in time to watch Hyungwon coming on his stomach. In spite of Minhyuk feeling completely wrung from the inside out, he still can’t help but add ‘give Hyungwon a blowjob’ on his mental to-do list at yet another image he promises to keep burned into his memory forever. 

For a moment, the only sounds that stuff the air are the shitty aircon system and their mingled breathing. Hyungwon lays next to Minhyuk on the bed and both need a moment to gather themselves. However, after maybe a minute, possibly less, Minhyuk grows impatient and lets his head lull to the side so he can look at Hyungwon. 

He has a strange expression on his face. Minhyuk doesn’t think it’s bad, per say, but there’s definitely a reason for his incredibly reddened cheeks and it isn’t just from the exertion. When Minhyuk’s finger pokes at said cheek, he doesn’t move his hand until Hyungwon finally glances his way. 

“Something on your mind?” Minhyuk asks, offering a small smile. He still half expects Hyungwon to leave it unreturned, but one actually appears on Hyungwon’s lips when he replies. 

“Sorry for adding to the mess on your stomach,” he says, gesturing vaguely at it. 

“Oh,” Minhyuk glances at his stomach, almost giving in the urge to rub his fingers in it, “I don’t mind that at all. Actually, that was really hot. You can come anywhere on me, I grant you that privilege indefinitely.” 

Hyungwon snorts and Minhyuk feels a finger poking his cheek this time, not leaving until he meets Hyungwon’s eyes. 

“I’m guessing that this means you don’t remember what you said when you came.” 

Minhyuk feels his face grow hot because Hyungwon was in fact very correct with that assumption. He looks upward to the ceiling, scratching his head mindlessly. 

“How embarrassed will I be if you told me what I said?” 

Hyungwon’s suddenly partially over him, bringing a smiling kiss to his lips. 

“You begged me to come inside you,” he stays, “You begged me to put a baby inside you, wanted me to fill you up—” 

“Okay, I get it! Say no more, please,” Minhyuk answers, pushing Hyungwon’s face away weakly, “It was the pollen talking, not me.” 

“Minhyuk.” 

Minhyuk doesn’t answer, too horrified at the thought of himself begging to have Hyungwon’s babies. 

“Minhyuk.” When Hyungwon says his name again, he gingerly takes Minhyuk’s hand in his own. “I know it was the pollen talking. It’s fine.” 

He stares at their intertwined fingers, then at Hyungwon, blinking owlishly at him. 

“Thank you,” he replies almost shyly, the ‘ _for everything’_ not needing to be said. Hyungwon kisses him again, and their conversation comes to a lull as they prefer to make out through the silence. By now, the effects of the pollen are too familiar and greet Minhyuk like an old friend when Hyungwon bites his lip. 

Feeling Minhyuk’s interest rising against his hip, Hyungwon smiles into their next kiss before glancing down. 

“Whatever needs to be done,” he repeats against Minhyuk’s lips, “Even if it takes us until morning.” 

Somewhere in the back of Minhyuk’s mind, he weeps for the state of his ass when this is all over, but the hand teasing it’s way down his spine and toward his hip has him pushing the thought away for now. 

“You sure about that?” 

“Positive.” 

Minhyuk pushes Hyungwon away again, but this time it’s so he can sit on top of him by straddling his waist. His hands slide up his torso before he leans down to kiss Hyungwon's jaw. And with his devilish smile, he says, “Before I lose my mind again, I would like to emphasize one more time you are more than welcome to come on and _in_ anywhere you’d like.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> MANY THANKS TO  
> Stella: there is a teenie tiny TGCF reference in there, so thank u for helping me with the translation and spelling. :3  
> Sarah: for always being there for me, whether it be with very Real threats or metaphorical hand holding when it comes to my writings. <3  
> Ayesha: for betaing for me, your comments and suggestions were a DELIGHT and I am eternally grateful for u <33
> 
> i am on [twt](https://twitter.com/botticeIIi) if you wanna say hi. :-)


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